I’m working on a children’s book that celebrates engaged fathers with the intent of uplifting families, moms, children… everyone. The language isn’t outwardly political, but it is also about presenting positive images of boys and men of color, especially as integral pieces of loving, thriving families.

I recently launched the project on Kickstarter. Check out its quick 2-minute video:

I’d be really honored if you posted this project on your blog!

The book is for dads, and moms, and single dads, and single moms, and kids. I see engaged fatherhood is key to lifting up our communities. This book counteracts the stereotypes of deadbeat dads of color. It shines love on those fathers out there that are amazing, and making amazing contributions, but invisible within mass culture. It paves the way for this generation of boys to be just as amazing. And from the mom and girl end, I believe that men’s full engagement in family life is key to ending the oppression of women (in so many ways).

Also, three major events are happening in NYC on October 15th: The Festival of the New Black Imagination, New York Comic Con, and Sex, Power, and Speaking Truth: Anita Hill 20 Years Later. Read on for more details and a possible meet up.

Friend of the blog Rob Fields is having Bold As Love‘s Festival of the New Black Imagination, featuring artists like Tamar-Kali, DJ Reborn, Dope Sagittarius, Imani Uzuri, No Surrender, and Saidah Baba Talibah. There are also speakers like Elon James White and Touré, the ringShout folks will be bringing literary hotness and plenty of discussion on the future of black creative power.

They are still fundraising – the easiest way to help out is to buy a ticket. (Or, if you can’t make it, buy the mixtape.)

Also happening is the NYC Comic Con, which begins on the 13th and goes until the 16th.

Cheryl Lynn of Digital Femme sent us a note with the panels that mention race:

Comics Studies Conference 6: Understanding Comics and the Self Saturday, October 15, 4:00PM – 5:30PM Location: 1B03 Neil Cohn (Tufts University) discusses several psychology experiments measuring reaction time and brainwaves that contribute to our understanding of what goes on in the brain when a person reads a comic and reveals that the understanding of comics involves a complex negotiation between a hierarchic system of narrative and the construction of meaning. CJ Suzuki (Lehigh University) focuses on the ways female Japanese comics creators (mangaka) employ shojo manga to critique, contest, and/or negotiate the hegemonic narratives and ideologies of the nation, gender/sexual normativity, and patriarchal social structure. Jeff Barbanell (Arizona State University) traces and deconstructs the transformation of Native American stereotypes and tropes in the comics medium to demonstrate how to work with elementary and secondary Native American literacy students, using the sequential visual medium of comics.

Always Bet On Black Saturday, October 15, 7:45PM – 8:45PM Location: 1A02 A multimedia exploration on the history of Black ( African American) heroes Ebony White to The Black Panther from Lando to Spawn. Focusing on their cultural impact, unifying/underlying traits & what the future holds based on what the past his shown us.

Maureen Dowd, The New York Times Lani Guinier, Harvard Law School Catharine A. MacKinnon, University of Michigan Law School Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School Judith Resnik, Yale Law School Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, (NY-28th District) Jamia Wilson, Women’s Media Center

Andrea Plaid and I will be running around trying to make sure we cover a little bit of everything – but since there is so much of a convergence in NYC, is anyone down for a meet up on that following Sunday, morning or afternoon? Indicate your interest in the comments.

ETA: The meet-up will be at Jing Fong at noon on Sunday, 10/16. The details about the eatery, including which trains to catch to get there, are here. I know I said this in the Comments Section, but I added it here, too, so this info doesn’t get lost in the thread. Thanks!–AJP

Race, Culture, and Identity in a Colorstruck World

About This Blog

Racialicious is a blog about the intersection of race and pop culture. Check out our daily updates on the latest celebrity gaffes, our no-holds-barred critique of questionable media representations, and of course, the inevitable Keanu Reeves John Cho newsflashes.

Latoya Peterson (DC) is the Owner and Editor (not the Founder!) of Racialicious, Arturo García (San Diego) is the Managing Editor, Andrea Plaid (NYC) is the Associate Editor. You can email us at team@racialicious.com.